Screw holding device



y 1932- c. I. RICHART 1,858,559

SCREW HOLDING DEVICE Filed Sept. 18, 1930 INVENTQR.

CZar/asfizcfzari A TTORNE Y.

Patentecl May 17, 1932 CHARLES I. RICHART, OF WHITTIER, CALIFORNIA sonnw HOLDING DEVICE Applicationv filed September 18, 1930. Serial No. 482,698.

This invention is a device for holding a screw in place while starting its threaded engagement, and provides for holding the screw in operative position without steadying it by the fingers, thereby particularly adapting the device for use in driving screws at points moreor less difficult of access.

It is an object of the invention to provide a holding means which may be supported 3 and operated from a point remote from the screw, and which may be held in the hand with its actuating mechanism conveniently accessible to the fingers.

It is a further object of the invention to 5 adapt the holding device for mounting on the shank of a screw driver so that a screw may be securely held in place relative to the blade of the screw driver with the blade engaging means readily operable by the fingers of the or in) hand which grips the screw driver, so that after the threaded engagement has been started the holding means maybe readily released and withdrawn and thus permit her.

It is a still further object'of the invention to provide a holding means of extremely simplified construction and operation, but

adapted to positively andsecurely hold a theholding device in operative position.

I 7 Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the hold- 'ing device disengaged from a screw after its threaded engagement has been started.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device in retracted, inoperative position.

Figs. 4;, 5 and 6 are detail sections on the lines 4 l-, 5- 5 and 66 respectively of Fi 3.

The holding device is an elongated struc-- ture ofrestricted cross-sectional area having 1 a gripping means at one end and actuating means at its opposite end so that the gripthe screw being driven home in usual manping means may be inserted and then oper ated in a space which is diflicult of access, and in practice the hold ng device is preferably mounted on the shank of a suitabletool so that it is supportedby the hand which grips the handle of the tool, with the fingers of said hand convenient to the actuating mechanism of the holding device, and the gripping means of the holding device adjacent the working end of the shank of the tool.

Theholding deviceis adapted to support a screw, bolt or other fastening or connect ing means which must be steadied in position untilits operative engagement with the work hasbeen started, and the tool upon the shank of which the holding device 'isfpreferably mounted may be a screw driver,

Jwrench or the like adapted to engage and the slotted head of the screw, and the holding drive home the object which is supported by the holding device. The illustrated embodiment of the invention shows a holding device adapted to support a screw or'other threaded element having a slotted head, with the holding device mounted upon the shank of a screw driver which has a usual blade for engaging the slot in the head of the screw; andithe invention will therefore be hereinafter described and claimed with reference to a screw and a screw driver, it'being understood however that such terms are to bev interpreted in their broadsense of any element which is adapted to'be first supported in operative position and then driven home by a suitable tool engaging the head of the element. 1 Q

Referring to the drawings, cooperating, normally expanded spring aws 1 are adapted for contraction by an annulus 2 which is slidable longitudinally on the shanks 3 of the jaws, and the'annulus 2 may be longitudinally shifted-by a strip 4 projecting rearwardly therefrom and terminating a. finger hold '6. The shanks 3 of the jaws are preferably supported by a rearwardly pro- 'jecting strip 7 which preferably terminates in a finger hold 8, and the strip 4 may be slidably'guided relative to strip 7 by extending V the strip 4 through a keeper '9 on strip? and thence rearwardly through a guide opening 10 in the finger hold 8, so that the finger hold 6 at the rear end of strip 4 is spaced rearwardly from finger hold 8.

It will thus be seen that with annulus 2 retracted on shanks 3, the jaws 1 may be slipped over the head of a screw A, and by operating the finger hold 6 the annulus 2 may then be projected forwardly relative to the shanks of the jaws so as to contract the jaws and thus grip and support the screw as shown in Fig. 1. By supporting the holding device at some point spaced rearwardly from its jaws, the screw A may thusbe inserted in a space which is dilficult of access, ready 7 for starting the threaded engagementof the screw.

The holding deviceis preferably supported on the shank 12 of a screwdriver B so that with the screw A held in operative position ready for its threaded engagement, the screw driver may drive the screw home; and for this purpose the shank of the screw driver preferfinger hold 6, which is of resilient material, with a notch 16 in the'shank 12 so as to releasably hold the strip 4 in inoperative position with annulus 2 retracted for normal expansion of jaws 1.

In practice the jaws 1, shanks 3 and sup- Y porting strip 7 together with keepers 9 and .13 and finger hold 8, are preferably stamped from a single piece of metal, with finger hold 8 bent at right angles to strip 7 and the keepers 9 and13 comprising oppositely projecting ears which arebenttoward-one anotherto form a closed annuli as shown inFigs.5 and6,andthe shanks?) and the aws 1 projecting forwardly from the ears which form oneof the keepers13 as shown in Fig. 3. In similar manner the strip 4 together with finger hold 6 and annulus 2 may be a single stamping, with finger hold 6 while it still forms a prolongation of strip 4 projected through guide opening 10 and then bent as shown in Fig. 3, and the annulus 2 comprising oppositely projecting ears which are bent toward one another so as to embrace shanks 3 as shown in Fig. 4.

" The keeper 15 maybe a separate stamping suitably fixed to strip 4 parts.- 7 H p As shown at Fig. 8, the screw holding deviceis in inoperative position permitting ordinary use of the screw driver, the strip l being retracted for normal expansion of jaws 1 and held in such retracted. position by the after assembly of the v spring-projected finger hold 6 releasably engaging the notch 16, and the strip 7 being also retracted so that jaws 1 are spacedrearwar'dly from the blade 17 of the screw driver, with the strip 7 preferably held in such retracted position by the spring jaws 1 releasably engaging notches 18 which may be formed in the shank of the screw driver at its hold 8 so as to project jaws 1 as shown in Fig. 5

2, and the head of screw A is then engaged by the blade of the screw driver with the jaws 1 fitting under the head of the screw, whereupon the strip-4 is projected forwardly by pressure of the thumb against finger hold 6, thereby contracting jaws 1 and firmly gripping the screw as shown in Fig. 1. The screw is thus readily operatively positioned and its threaded engagement is started by turning thescrew driver and as soon the threaded engagement is sutficient to hold the screw in place, annulus 2 is retracted by reverse pressure of the thumb against finger hold 6, thereby releasing jaws 1 as shown in Fig.2 so that they may be disengaged from the screw. By reverse pressure of the thumb against finger hold 8 the jaws are then retracted as shown inFig. 8, so that the screw may be driven home in usual manner with the holding device out of the way.

The invention thus provides extremely simple and readily operated means for holding a screw in place until its threadedengagement is started, with the holding device-then adapted for ready disengagement and retracbent around the shank of a screw driver for sliding movement longitudinally thereof with the longitudinal strip projecting'rearwardly along the shank of the screw driver and the shanks of the spring jaws projecting forwardly along opposite sides of the blade of the screw driver so that the spring jaws are adapted for longitudinal projection or retraction relative tosaid blade, the shanks of the spring jaws being bent so as tonormally laterally expand the jaws, and a second longitudinal strip having a finger hold at its rear end and laterally projecting ears at its forward end, the last mentioned ears being adapted to be bent around the operatively positioned shanks of the spring jaws for sliding movement longitudinally thereotwith the second mentioned strip projecting rearwardly along the shank of the screw driver and said operatively positioned second menjaws by forward shifting of said ears along the normally bent shanks of the jaws.

2. A screw holding device comprising a strip having laterally projecting ears with shanks projecting forwardly from the ears and terminating in spring jaws, the ears being adapted to be bent around the shank of a screw driver for sliding movement longitudinally thereof with the shanks of the spring jaws projecting forwardly along opposite sides of the blade of the screw driver so that the spring jaws are adapted for longitudinal projection or retraction relative to said blade, the shanks of the spring jaws being bent so as to normally laterally expand the jaws, and a second strip having laterally projecting ears adapted to be bent around the operatively V positioned shanks of the spring jaws for sliding movement longitudinally thereof so as to contract the spring jaws by forward shifting of the ears of the second strip along the normally bent shanks of the jaws.

3. A screw holding device comprising a strip having laterally projecting ears with shanks projecting forwardly from the ears and terminating in spring jaws, the ears being adapted to be bent around the shank of a screw driver for sliding movement longitudinally thereof with the shanks of the spring jaws projecting forwardly along opposite sides of the blade of the screw driver so that the spring aws are adapted for longitudinal projection or retraction relative to 7 said blade, the shanks of the spring jaws being bent so as to normally laterally expand the jaws, and means encircling the shanks of the spring jaws for sliding movement longitudinally thereof so as to contract the spring jaws by forward shifting of said encircling means along thenormally bent shanks of the aws.

4. A screw holding device comprising spring jaws projecting forwardly along opposite sides of the blade of a screw driver and adapted for longitudinal projection or retraction relative to said blade, the shank of the spring jaws being bent so as to normally laterally expand the jaws, and a strip having laterally projecting ears adapted to be bent around the shanks of the spring jaws for sliding movement longitudinally thereof so as to contract the spring jaws by forward shifting of said ears along the normal- 1y bent shanks of the jaws.

5. A screw holding device comprising a longitudinal strip having a finger hold at its rear end and laterally projecting ears adjacent its forward end with shanks projecting forwardly from the ears and terminating in spring jaws, the ears being adapted to be bent around the shank of a screw driver for sliding movement longitudinally thereof with the longitudinal strip projecting forwardly along the shank of the screw driver and the shanks of the spring jaws projecting forwardly along opposite sides of the blade of the screw driver so that the spring jaws.

encircling the shanks of the spring jaws forv sliding movement longitudinally thereof so as to contract the spring jaws by forward shifting of said encircling means along the normally bent shanks of the jaws.

6. A screw holding device comprising spring jaws projecting forwardly along opposite sides of the blade of a screw driver and adapted for longitudinal projection or retraction relative to said blade, the shanks of the spring jaws being bent so as to normally expand the jaws, and a longitudinal strip having a finger hold at its rear ends and laterally projecting ears at its forward end, said ears being adapted to be bent around the shanks of the spring jaws for sliding movement longitudinally thereof.

with the longitudinal strip projecting'rearwardly along the shank of the screw driver and said operatively positioned ears adapted to contract the spring jaws by forward shifting of said ears along the normally bent shanks of the jaws.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

CHARLES I. RIGHART. 

